Starred review from April 4, 2022
In this memorable depiction of grief, loss, and life-altering change, white 12-year-old word aficionado and contrarian William Wyatt Orser, nicknamed Worser, struggles to accept the help of others in the aftermath of his mother’s stroke. Seeking a refuge to focus on his “Masterwork”—a lexicon years in the making—and escape his prying aunt Iris, the creative and emotive younger sister to his no-nonsense college professor mother who moves in to provide care, Worser becomes a regular at a quiet used bookstore run by a standoffish bookseller. When his longtime crush Donya Khoury, cued by her surname as Middle Eastern, also needs a place to escape, Worser suggests the bookstore and finds himself letting others in for the first time since his father’s death eight years earlier. Ziegler’s (Revenge of the Teacher’s Pets) compassionate characterization of Worser, whose unaddressed fear and grief often cause him to lash out and deflect from his own shortcomings, and nuanced portrayal of his changing relationships with his family and friends make this character-driven narrative a cathartic and emotionally charged experience. Ages 9–12. Agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary.
March 1, 2022
When his (widowed) mother, a professor of rhetoric, has a stroke and can no longer speak, social misfit twelve-year-old William Wyatt Orser, nicknamed Worser, feels "utterly alone. Cold. Helpless." Obsessed with words, the boy carries in his backpack a loose-leaf binder he refers to as his Masterwork, which contains 321 pages of lists of words and observations and questions about how they work. ("If terrific can mean the opposite of terrible, why isn't horrific the opposite of horrible?") But all that doesn't mean he is good at actually using words. He is no Cyrano with the girl he has a crush on, and he is impatient, even caustic, with the aunt who is trying to take care of him and his mother. But Ziegler ably delineates how words help Worser to find a place in the world and evolve from Worser into "Worder," as he and his nerdy-wordy Lit Club friends carve out a refuge for themselves at a local bookstore. If Worser is not especially likable at first, he and his new friends -- including the brusque bookshop owner -- find ways to grow and be there for one another. Dean Schneider
(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
Starred review from February 15, 2022
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* William Orser, called Worser by his classmates, is struggling after his mother experiences a devastating stroke that leaves her incapable of caring for him. To make matters worse, his aunt Iris has moved in and disrupted the calm, yet insular lifestyle he and his mother crafted after the death of his father. One of Worser's few expressive outlets is his Masterwork, a secret lexicon that he has added to over the years. When the school library is forced to reduce hours, Worser finds a new place to work on his Masterwork at Re-Visions, a used bookstore owned by the gruff Mr. Murray. In an effort to impress his crush, Donya, Worser convinces Mr. Murray to let the school's Lit Club meet at Re-Visions. To his surprise, Worser joins the Lit Club and finds refuge in the friends he makes there. But when the changes in Worser's life become too much to cope with, he lashes out in ways that have disastrous consequences for the people he cares about most. Full of SAT-worthy vocabulary and wordplay, this is a touching story about grief, trauma, and embracing change. This story is especially powerful due to its sensitive depictions of non-death-related grief, which Ziegler accurately captures. Readers looking for titles dealing with the intricacies of grief and family trauma will appreciate this selection.
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Starred review from January 15, 2022
A standoffish human thesaurus learns lessons beyond his hallowed knowledge of words. Following his widowed mother's stroke, bookish seventh grader William "Worser" Orser is obligated to endure his artistic, emotional aunt as caretaker for them both. If life at home before was sensibly beige, now it's obnoxiously purple. His one haven is the school library, where he avoids people and develops his Masterwork, an over-300-page lexicon (he is truly the child of professors). When the library hours are restricted by budget cuts, he relocates to a secondhand bookshop. Happily, his new refuge allows him to help his crush, Donya Khoury, who is desperate for a literary club meeting space. Joining the club by default, Worser feels needed and appreciated and avoids having to see his aunt, her dreadful cats, and (guiltily) his mother's severely altered state. But nothing is forever. He must face change and learn that etymological accuracy isn't directly proportionate to compassionate communication. Worser is abrupt and precise with his words, but this wonderfully layered story unfolds its many facets gently: finding refuge, garnering peer appreciation, questioning the way things were, and facing the toll of untreated trauma. Worser reads as White; Donya is presumably of Middle Eastern heritage, and the literary club seamlessly includes racial diversity and queer representation. The author has developed her main character so well it's hard to believe it's not biography--but it can certainly pass as the most entertaining New York Times crossword artillery you'll ever read. A lexical story of emotional evolution. (Fiction. 9-12)
COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
January 1, 2022
When his (widowed) mother, a professor of rhetoric, has a stroke and can no longer speak, social misfit twelve-year-old William Wyatt Orser, nicknamed Worser, feels "utterly alone. Cold. Helpless." Obsessed with words, the boy carries in his backpack a loose-leaf binder he refers to as his Masterwork, which contains 321 pages of lists of words and observations and questions about how they work. ("If terrific can mean the opposite of terrible, why isn't horrific the opposite of horrible?") But all that doesn't mean he is good at actually using words. He is no Cyrano with the girl he has a crush on, and he is impatient, even caustic, with the aunt who is trying to take care of him and his mother. But Ziegler ably delineates how words help Worser to find a place in the world and evolve from Worser into "Worder," as he and his nerdy-wordy Lit Club friends carve out a refuge for themselves at a local bookstore. If Worser is not especially likable at first, he and his new friends -- including the brusque bookshop owner -- find ways to grow and be there for one another.
(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)